Fire-control and gun-laying apparatus



Feb. 13,1923;

A. 1. PO LLEN. FIRE CONTROL AND GUN LAYING APPARATUS.

2 snsns snsn 1.

FILED AUQ- 11,1920- W W/0w {P @W Feb. 13, 1923. I I 1,445,353.

A. L H. POLLEN. FIRE CONTROL AND cum LAYING APPARATUS.

Patented Feb. 13, ieza rat FIRE-CONTROL AND GUN-LAYING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Auriiu'u HUNonnFoiu) PociinN, otherwise ARTHUR JOSEPH HUNGER- ronn POLLEN, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 1 1 Buckingham Street, London, 1V. C. 2, England, haveinvented certain. new and useful Improvements in Fire-Control and Gun-Laying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in naval fire control and methods of gun laying, and it has for object to provide means whereby fire control may be exercised and guns correctly laid when the target is out of sight, when the target is obscured by a smoke screen, and when the horizon is similarly obscured.

Accordiug to this invention a datum mark gyroscopically fixed in space is used in conjunction with range and bearing clocks to give the elevations and hearings to be applied to guns and turrets to enable them to be correctly elevated and trained, as the case may be, upon an invisible target and though the horizon be obscured by an artificial smoke screen or otherwise.

According to one method a datum mark may be created by means of a gyroscopically-controlled beam of light and means provided in connection therewith whereby a turret may be correctly trained and a gun may be correctly elevated, and such datum mark may be shown in the turret at the gun, or it may be at the fire-control position.

Such a datum mark may be createdin the known manner by means of a source of light in conjunction with a lens or mirror mounted on the casing of a gyroscope or a ring of the gyroscope mounting so. that a spot 0 light is produced.

According to one method one such datum mark from which hearing may be kept is arranged in the turret in combination with means such as an adjustable lubber line whereby theturret may be kept-trained in any desired direction by constantly training the turret to keep the spot of lighton the lubber line. The lubber line is adjusted in connection withabearing clock to keep.

the turret continuouslytrained on the target. Another such datum mark-from which elevation of a gun may be kept is arranged on the gun in combination with an adjustable index so that the gun may be main- Serial No. 407,105.

Flgure 3 is a sectional plan view of an application of the invention to a gun and Figure 4 is an end elevation of the appa-- ratus.

All the above figures are more or less.

diagrammatic.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2,

1 represents the floor of the turret within which the gyroscope 2 is located.

The gyroscope 2 whichspins around a horizontal axis is mounted in gimbals 8 and 1 which are supported by a bracket 5 fixed to the floor of a casing 6 which is carried by gimbals 7 and 8 mounted upon pedestals 9.9. The casing 6 therefore remains at an approximately horizontal position irrespective of the roll and pitch of the ship on which the turret is mounted.

lVhen the. turret turns in azimuth the casing 6 also turns therewith.

The gyroscope 2 may be driven by compressed air, or electrically,-but no means for supplying such motive power are illustrated in the drawings. I

A ring 10 is mounted within the casing 6 so that it may be rotated in relation thereto, and carried by a bracket 11 attached to said ring 10 is a source of light such as a projecting lantern 12.

Mounted upon the vertical gimbal ring at of the gyroscope is a mirror 13 which receives a beam of light fronrsaid projecting lantern 12 and reflects same on to the inner surface of the ring 10, as indicated by dotand-dash lines, so as to produce thereon a spot (or it may be a line), of light 1 1 (see Figure 2). Y Y j The inside of the ring 10 is provided with a lubber line or fixed index mark 15 (see Figure 2) and said ring may be rotated by any convenient means, such for example, as

portion of the cradle provided that Initially the angular position of the ring 10 and consequently of the lubber-line 15 is adjusted so that the spot of light 1 1 coincides with the lubber-line.

If the gyroscope 2 is spinning and there tore maintaining its plane of rotation, the

outer gimbal ring a will have no rotation about its vertical axis, and if the turret is stationary the spot of light 1 1 will have no movement on the inside surface of the ring 10.

lVhen, however, a movement in azimuth is imparted to the turret, the casing 6 the ring 10 and therefore the source of light 12 will change their positions relatively to the mirror 13 and the reflected beam of light and therefore the image 1 L will change position in relation to the lnbber-line 15.

To bring the image 1 1- back to correct alignment with the lubber-line 15 the turret is trained until it has the same relative position to the gyroscope plane that it had previously to receiving" movement in azimuth.

In order to enable the turret to be trained at a uniform speed for "the purpose of synchronizing such training with the rate of change of bearingset up by a moving; target or a moving; ship, the ring 10 is rotatably mountedwithin the casino; 6 and means, such as rack teeth 10 and pinion 10 are provided for rotating; said ring at the re quired number of degrees per minute.

This rotation may be effected, as already stated by hand, in which case an indicator electrically connected to a suitable transmitter driven by the range and bearin clock would show to the person setting; the ring the movement required, or, it may be eflfected by power, as for example by connecting the ring 10 through suitable gearing to a receiving motor controlled by a transmitter driven by a range and bearing clock and imparting rotation to the ring; 10 in agreement with the change of bearing transmitted from said range and bearingclock.

By rotating the turret, by means 0% the ordinary controlling gear in the opposite direction at exactly the same number of degrees per minute the im age 14- is kept in constant relationship to the lubber-line 15.

Similar means may be employed in order to maintain a constant angle of elevation on a gun so that it may be accl 'ately laid upon a target which is not actually visible from the gun position.

This is illustrated in Figures 3 and 41-.

16 is the cradle which is mounted so as to turn on the trunnion 17 in the bearing 18.

A table 19 is rigidly secured to the trunnion 17 or, instead of being; attached to the trunnion the table 19 may be secured to any 7 the table is in a plane at right angles to the axis of the trunnion 17. i V

Mounted upon the table 19 there is a plate or disc 20 which pro ided with a centre pin 21 about which said plate or disc may be rotated.

This rotation may be effected by hand, by means of a crank-handle operating a pinion 26 which meshes with teeth 27 cut in or attached to the periphery of the plate or disc 20.

The plate or disc 20 carries by means 01' two brackets 22 22, and suitable suppm-tingpins 23. 23, a circular casing 2 1, similar to the casing; 6 described above, in which is mounted the gyroscope 2 in its gzimbal rings 3 and a and spinning about a vertical axis 25.

The casinp; 24- is weighted so that it normally maintains itself in a vertical plane with the gvro mounting 5 horizontal.

A projcc lantern. 12 is mounted within the circular casing E l and a mirror 13 is carried by the horizontal grimhal ring oi the gyroscope 2, and serves to reflect a beam of light on to the inside of the casing Q l which is provided with a lubber-line as in the case of the ring; 10 described above.

If owing; to roll or pitch the inclination of the gun 26 to the horizon is altered the crfect will be to alter the position of the source oi light 12 in. relationship to the mirror 13 and therefore the image will be dis placed relatively to the lubber-line 15 within the casing'Q l. In order to correct the elevation of the gun the cradle is readjusted aoout the trunnions 17 until the cradle returns to its original angle of inclination which is reached when the spot of light coincides with the lubberline.

By means of suitable indicating; mechanism the change of range as indicated by the range clock may be applied. to the disc or plate 20, by means of the hand-operated gearing. and the elevation of the gun may be synchronized therewith by adjusting the cradle so that the spot of light is maintained in coincidence with the lubber-line.

By means of this invention, fire control may be exercised and turrets correctly trained and guns may be correctly elevated when the target is quite invisible; l'iearing being; applied to a turret and range and bearing: being applied to a gun as indicated and the turret trained and the gun laid by means of the datum mark in such a manner that so long as the correct data are transmitted it is possible to maintain accurate fire on an entirely invisible target.

I have described one method of applying this invention in which the datum mark is shown in the turret by means of a spot of light but it may equally be applied at the fire control or director posit-ion to give correct bearings and elevations relative to points fixed in the ship for transmission to the turrets and guns.

Other methods of applying the invention will suggest themselves and will be Within the scope oiany invei ionas long as a datum mark gyroscopically fixed in space is used in conjunction with range and bearing clocks to obtain the required bearings and elevations. 7

hat I claim is 1. Naval fire-control and unlaying' apparatus characterized by a datum mark gyroscopically fixed in space, a movable index carried in gimbal mountings and to which, movement representing change of range of an invisible target is applied relatively to said datum mark, and means for adjusting the parts so as to maintain said datum mark and said movable index in coincidence for the purpose set forth.

2. Naval fire-control and gun laying apparatus, characterized by a datum mark gyroscopically fixed in space, a movable index carried in gimbal mountings, and driving means imparting to said movable index movement representing change of bearing of an invisible target applied to it relatively to said datum mark, said datum mark and said movable index being maintainable in coincidence for the puropse set forth.

Naval fire-control and gun laying apparatus characterized by a gun, a datum mark carried upon said gun, gyroscopic means for controlling: said datum mark in space, a movable index carried in gimbal mountings and adapted to be displaced relatively to said datum mark, said movable index being; capable of receiving; displacements representing change of range of an invisible target, and means for adjusting the parts so as to maintain said datum mark and said movable index in coincidence for the purpose set forth.

4. Naval fire-control and gun laying apparatus, characterized by, a turret, a datum mark carried upon said turret, gyroscopic means for controlling said datum mark in space, a movable index carried in gimbal mountings and adapted to be displaced rela tively to said datum mark, and driving means imparting to said movable index displacements representing changes of bearing of an invisible target, said datum mark and said movable index being maintainable in coincidence for the purpose set forth.

5. Naval fire-control and gun laying apparatus, characterized by a turret, a gyroscope adapted to spin about a horizontal axis, a mirror carried by the vertical gimbal ring of said gyroscope, a movable member carried in gimbal mountings borne by said turret, an index on said movable member,

a source of light carried by said movable.

member and directed upon said mirror to deflect same on to said movable member to provide a datum mark for bearings, said movable member being capable of receiving displacements representing changes of bearing, and the positions of said index and said datum mark beingmaintainable in coincidence whereby said turret may be correctly trained on an entirely invisible target.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR JOSEPH HUNGERFORD POLLEN. 

